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New bosses at Polydor
By Chris Cooke | Published on Tuesday 17 May 2016
If, like me, you were sitting there last Thursday morning thinking “hmm, isn’t it about time a new era unfolded at Universal’s Polydor label?”, well, many congratulations, you think like a major record company boss.
Which means you could be a major record company boss. I should be a major record company boss. “I wonder if the problem with YouTube, really, is that neither Google nor the labels are selling enough advertising, and that requires a joined up approach to educate the ad industry about the power of the five second ad?” Ah, look at that, fucked it up again. No major record company boss job for me.
Anyway, “a new era is unfolding at one of the UK’s leading record labels”, says one of the UK’s “leading record labels”. The label is Universal’s Polydor, as I may have mentioned, and this new era has been instigated by the hiring of a new boss for the frontline division. Actually, two new bosses: Ben Mortimer and Tom March. The former is stepping up from the role of A&R Director at Polydor, while the latter is stepping over from the GM job at another Universal label, Virgin EMI. The two previously worked together at yet another Universal unit, Island Records.
Says Universal UK top man David Joseph: “Universal Music has built its success on promoting from within and in Ben and Tom we have two exceptionally creative executives with a shared ability to truly realise their artists’ vision. They have already proved they are a great team and I know their drive and energy will take Polydor into another world-beating era”.
Another “world-beating era” hey? Like what other “world-beating era”? That time when a certain David Joseph ran Polydor? Or that time when his boss Lucian Grainge ran Polydor? Seems like the Polydor top job often leads to great things. Great things such as joint venture labels with Sony Music, like the one Polydor’s most recent chief Ferdy Unger-Hamilton is apparently launching. Aim high, I say. Build it and they will come.
